Aspen UK give local school children unforgettable visit to the Centre of the Cell

27 Jun 2018

The Centre of the Cell is a science education centre with a difference – it’s the first in the world to be located within working biomedical research laboratories at Queen Mary, University of London.

Earlier this week, one of our corporate partners Aspen UK made it possible for a group of local school children to visit the centre.

25 children from St Mary & St Michael Catholic Primary School made the trip to Whitechapel. They had their very own ‘pod session’ where they learned about the amazing world of cells, played curriculum-linked interactive games and had a ‘Snot, Sick and Scabs’ workshop.

The children had an opportunity to see the Neuron Pod (pictured bottom) being constructed at the centre. The pod is a striking addition to the centre and will increase visitor numbers and provide additional space for live science shows, hands-on workshops and experiments.

The Neuron Pod wouldn’t be possible without charitable donations, and it was a chance for everyone to get an early glimpse of the impact that Aspen UK’s generous £65,000 donation will have on inspiring the next generation of doctors and scientists.

As well as kindly committing to support us for three years, Aspen UK are also partnered with national children's mental health charity Place2Be who helped to coordinate the visit.

Our Chief Executive Fiona Miller Smith says: “We are very fortunate to be partnered with Aspen UK which has enabled us to work with a local Place2Be school, giving children the opportunity to experience the wonderful science engagement work that goes on at the Centre of the Cell.

This collaboration between two Aspen charity partners has had real benefits for the communities that we serve and Aspen’s funding towards the Neuron Pod will increase the number of children that benefit in the future."